Florida Gov. Charlie Crist is getting the full Arlen Specter treatment as he struggles to hold on to Democratic support in his independent bid for the U.S. Senate.

The Florida Democratic Party is throwing money behind a crushing new ad that reminds Democrats and independents of Crist’s past as a partisan Republican, cutting together clips of the governor praising George W. Bush and Sarah Palin, talking up offshore drilling and calling himself “a Jeb Bush Republican.”

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The clips of Crist come one by devastating one: “I’m about as conservative as you can get,” he says in the opening video. In another: “President Bush – he is a leader of courage and conviction.” In a third: “I was impressed at Gov. Palin being picked. I watched her speech today. I was very impressed.”

The commercial is running in select broadcast markets throughout Florida, including the politically pivotal I-4 corridor, according to a source familiar with the buy. The FDP ad comes days after a Mason-Dixon poll showed Crist’s support dropping to 28 percent, just five points ahead of Democratic Rep. Kendrick Meek and 12 points behind Republican frontrunner Marco Rubio.

Meek had a seven-point lead among Democrats, and the new spot’s closing frames won’t help Crist make up that gap. “I’m a pro-life, pro-gun, anti-tax Republican,” Crist says, insisting in the last clip: “I think it’s important for people to understand who the true conservative is in this race. And it's Charlie Crist.”

Crist has recently marshaled a handful of valuable Democratic endorsements in his effort to draw support away from Meek, picking up the backing of state Sen. Al Lawson and winning over former Rep. Robert Wexler at a weekend event in Boca Raton.

“There’s going to be one clear voice of sanity, one voice that says,’I’m going to do what’s right by the people of Florida,’” Wexler said, referring to Crist and acknowledging: “I know as a lifelong Democrat, I will most likely never do this again.”

The governor, who abandoned a Republican primary fight with Marco Rubio amid sagging poll numbers, has also gone on the air with his first negative ad – one that attacks both Meek and Rubio, now the GOP’s official nominee.

“Newspapers report the IRS is investigating Rubio,” the commercial charges. “Kendrick Meek steered government contracts to an indicted developer, who then hired Meek’s mother.”

But even as Crist has tacked left, raising the prospect that Democrats could embrace him as a stronger opponent for Rubio than Meek, the electoral math has gotten tougher. Democratic strategist Steve Schale, a Meek supporter who ran President Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign in Florida, estimated that Crist would have to win about a third of Democrats, a third of Republicans and half of the unaffiliated voters in order to claim victory.

“His only path to victory is to find a way to be Democratic enough to win enough Democrats, Republican enough to win enough Republicans, and to do that in a way where he doesn't anger Independents,” Schale wrote the week after Meek won the Democratic Senate primary. “Not exactly the easiest thing to do, when Democrats now have a plausible alternative in Meek and Republicans in Rubio.”

Readers' Comments (23)

When will Charlie explain how his family vacations to Disney world were paid for by the Republican party ?? Nice expensive spa treatments for the wifey and friends too... and he has the nerve to bring up Rubio's car expenses when a VALET at a REPUBLICAN EVENT SMASHED RUBIOS CAR and the expense to fix it was charged to the Republican party.... It occurred at one of their EVENTS Charlie !!!! Your VACATION Did NOTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

Crist initiated this witch hunt and now it will come back to burn him for all of his greed and shady deals., As for Meek....he has no chance in hell because he is too closely associated to Obama and Biden...and they are the kiss of death for any campaign....

Go Rubio Go...bring back some fiscal sanity and the love for America that the Democrats continually bash and apologize for..

Wo is the sad end to all the Rhino's . Who only cared about maintaining power over principle.

You are getting your just rewards . This poem is appropriate for this article

Back when I was young lad in 1956. I did things without thinking and got into a fix. (that's you Crist, Spector, Murkowski) I wasn’t an evil child, but I had a wild hair in me which caused me a painful lesson in American History. I hated our smelly old outhouse, which sat on the bank of the creek, And every time I ventured there , the smell made me feel quite sick So I decided pushing it over into the creek would be a heap of fun But I dared not do the deed till late that night 'bout half-past one. Well I pushed the outhouse over when the moon was high And as I watched it float away I thought I was very sly. Unfortunately the next morning Pa took me out to the old woodshed And I could tell that he was mad because his face was taut and red When pa asked me about it, I said: "I cannot tell a lie. "I pushed the outhouse over "and took off on the fly." "Bend over, boy," pa said, taking that big razor strap down. "Time for you to learn that on such foolishness I frown." "But pa," says I with tears falling down like summer rain, "When George Washington told the truth, his father inflicted no pain." "You and George both told the truth," Pa said, "On that I agree." "But when George did his hatchet job, his Pa wasn't in the tree." I think this is fitting since the Republicans made their pledge to America in a woodshed . Liberals are trying cut the Cherry Tree down while we are all in it. We have gone from having a stinky outhouse to no outhouse at all.The American dream is becoming a thing of the past They are even proud of doing it! It is time to make these Socialistic liberals bend over and and get your come uppance. "Try not to cry like a girl , Rhino's and Liberals." Here's for wasting trillions of dollarsWhack! Whack! Here's for rationed Health Care Whack! Whack! Here's for hiring 16,000 IRS agents to enforce it. Whack! Whack! Here's for suing Arizona for protecting its border. Whack! Whack! Here's for Cap and Trade Whack! Whack! Here's for raising taxes. Whack! Whack! Here's for not regulating Fannie mae and Freddy Mac. Whack! Whack! Whack! Her's for your constant cries of racism. Whack! Whack! Whack!

Christ should get out of the way and support Rubio. I have nothing against Christ, don't know much about him, but conservative Latinos and Asians will be the salvation of the republican party. If there is going to be any salvation.

Crist and Specter should share a room in the Old Folks Home For People with Deep-Seated Character Issues.

Maybe they could edit each others' memoirs while sitting in their rocking chairs by the window in twilight, cashmere afghans on their laps, toast points and tea and Walgreens-framed 3 x 4 pictures of their grandchildren spread across the individual hospital-tables adjusted expressly for their comfort.

Sigh...if the Democrats were smart, they would contact Crist and tell him that they would give him plum committee assignments in return for agreeing to caucus with them (the Republicans don't want him any way). In return, they should pull the plug on Meeks...it's a lost cause, and continuing to run a Democrat in this race appears to guarantee a Rubio victory...I just don't get it.

Crist and Specter should share a room in the Old Folks Home For People with Deep-Seated Character Issues.

Gee, you neglected to mention Lieberman the former Democrat turned Rethug But, but. he supported the GOP on many votes. He sided with is old butt buddy McCain on numerous votes. All that turncoat really cares about is Israel. The Rethugs were correct when they called him Loserman! Rubio will be as crooked as he was with the GOP credit card; however, if elected to the Senate he will spend like another Repug drunken sailor on tax cuts for his wealthy contributors. Hispanics beware, Rubio is against the bill that would allow young Hispanics to become citizens after serving in the military.(DREAM) Oh, but the Cubans received special consideration in order to gain U.S. citizenship by just landing on our shores! What the Fruck?

Dems screwed the pooch on this one...they should have thrown Crist under the bus long ago. He can't be trusted. All they did was hurt Meek by not fully supporting him from the start. Meek deserved better.

Personally, Rubio or Meek - either one would be worlds better than Crist. Crist exemplififes the worst part of American politics - candidates who will say anything to get elected. His ego is only surpassed by Alan Grayson.

Well it appears that Democrats in Florida have made the calculation that Charlie Crist is not going to prevail over Republican Senate Candidate Marco Rubio and they are now shifting their strategy accordingly. Crist is now the target of a Democratic advertising campaign that is trying to isolate Crist as the odd man out in a 3-way battle for the seat. Only in the world of Democrat strategists could the target of an ad campaign be the guy in second place..

Standards on teachers? You mean to base their evaluation of Florida teachers on a fricking test at the end of the year? Are you serious? Some fricking test over the classroom evaluations of teachers by their principals or vice principals and their years of service and their professional growth credits at colleges and universities? The Repug politicians in the Florida legislature are truely Neanderthals or stupid hillbillys! Florida is the epitome of ignorance as illustrated by the Repug politicians voting a for a repressive education reform bill. Thanks Charlie for vetoing the stupid bill!